Remote Desktop Tips

Remote Desktop Connection (RDC)* can be confusing to users. This document outlines a few tips to help users that may be having some trouble using RDC.

Distinguishing between desktops

If you are running RDC in full screen mode, the remote desktop will fill your entire screen. This may make it difficult to distinguish between the desktop of the computer you are working on, and the desktop of the remote computer.

One way to determine one desktop from another is to run RDC at a resolution lower than the setting for your monitor. To change this setting, click the Options > > button in the Remote Desktop Connection window, and then click on the Display tab. The size of the remote desktop can be changed under the Remote desktop size section. Choosing a size lower than the resolution setting for your monitor will run the remote desktop in a window instead of in full screen.

Another way to help distinguish between the desktops is to make sure that Display connection bar when in full screen mode is checked. When it is checked, the connection bar will be visible at the top of the remote desktop while it is running in full screen mode. This setting can be changed at the bottom of the Display tab which was used in the previous paragraph to change the size of the remote desktop. Make sure that the slider under the Remote desktop size section is all the way to the right if you would like to have the connection bar present.

The connection bar can be set to auto-hide itself or to stay on top of everything on your remote desktop. While RDC is running in full screen mode, click the �pin� icon on the left of the connection bar to change this setting. Below are some pictures to help you out:

This picture above shows that the connection bar is �unpinned� which means that it is set to auto-hide itself.

In this picture, the connection bar is �pinned� to the desktop and will stay on top of other windows on your remote desktop.

Password Protected Screen Savers

A remote computer can become locked if it has a password protected screen saver. There are two different scenarios that can occur after becoming locked depending on the software installed on the remote machine.

If the remote computer has Novell installed, then a user is required to press the Ctrl-Alt-Del key combination to proceed to the Novell login screen. However, when a user presses that key combination at the remote desktop window or screen, the host computer registers the key presses instead of the remote computer. To send the Ctrl-Alt-Del combination to the remote host, press Ctrl-Alt-End instead. Ctrl-Alt-End is equivalent to Ctrl-Alt-Del when it is used in a remote desktop.

If the computer does not have Novell installed, then a user will be greeted by the Unlock Computer window when a key is pressed or the mouse is moved.

Windows Key Combinations

While working in a remote desktop, Windows key combinations may behave differently than a user expected and cause some confusion. Key combinations such as Alt-Tab work differently depending on the Keyboard setting under the Local Resources tab. Below is a table that briefly describes how Windows key combinations will behave on a windowed or full screened remote desktop:

It is worthy to note that Ctrl-Alt-End is not affected by the keyboard setting.

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